Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Pickle Robot Company; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Unlimited vacation

401(k) with 5% salary-match

Job summary

Pickle Robot Company is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to own the mechanical performance and long‑term reliability of our warehouse automation systems. You will drive design from concept through production, collaborating with software, electrical, and manufacturing teams to deliver high‑quality hardware for nationwide deployments.

You will prototype, test, and validate components, perform structural analysis and tolerance stacks, and create detailed CAD models and drawings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Experience in robotics/automation design.
• Proven ability to design machined, sheet metal, and welded parts.
• Prototyping by hand to validate ideas.
• Experience with tolerance stackups and DFMEA.
• Ability to take designs from cradle-to-grave in fast-paced environments.
• Proficiency in CAD software (Onshape preferred; SolidWorks/Creo acceptable).
• Experience with CNC, sheet metal, welding, 3D printing; molding is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical performance and long-term reliability of robotic systems.
• Lead design from concept to production with cross-functional teams.
• Conduct simulations, testing, and prototyping to validate designs.
• Create detailed CAD models, drawings, and documentation.
• Troubleshoot mechanical issues during design, production, and deployment.
• Collaborate across departments to gather inputs and iterate on designs.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, safety regulations, and quality processes.
• Support manufacturing in scaling and improving processes for robotics hardware.
• Lead continuous improvement for robot performance and reliability.

Skills

Robotics experience

CAD proficiency

Prototyping by hand

Tolerance stackups

DFMEA experience

Manufacturing processes

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical writing

OnShape

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Onshape

SolidWorks

Creo

Job description

About this role:

Pickle Robot is on the hunt for a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to help shape the next generation of warehouse automation. Our robots tackle the toughest job on the dock — unloading trucks — and we’re scaling fast. That means building hardware that’s rugged, reliable, and ready for the unpredictable realities of warehouse life.

In this role, you’ll own the mechanical performance and long‑term reliability of our robotic systems. You’ll diagnose issues, drive continuous improvement, and collaborate closely with software, electrical, and manufacturing teams to ensure our robots deliver consistent, high‑quality performance in the field. Your work will directly influence how our systems evolve as we expand deployments nationwide.

If you’re excited about designing durable, elegant mechanical systems that thrive in real‑world environments and power the future of warehouse automation, we’d love to meet you.

What You’ll Accomplish:

• Work with an interdisciplinary team to execute product designs from concept to production.
• Conduct simulations, testing, and prototyping to validate designs.
• Perform structural analysis, material selection, and stress testing for robot components.
• Create detailed technical drawings, CAD models, and documentation.
• Troubleshoot and resolve mechanical issues during design, production, and deployment.
• Brainstorming solutions through sketches/CAD, gathering inputs from necessary cross-department stakeholders while working collaboratively on designs.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, safety regulations, and quality control processes.
• Support production teams in scaling and improving manufacturing processes for robotics hardware.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts in robot performance and reliability

Who You Are:

• A graduate of a bachelor’s or master's program in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• A Mechanical Engineer with 7+ years of experience, ideally in robotics, automation, or a related field.
• Experience in the design process from cradle-to-grave. The ideal Pickle candidate can work in a fast-paced, cutting-edge environment and possess most, if not all, of the following characteristics.
• Must have experience designing machined, sheet metal, and welded parts in (preferably OnShape) and submitting documentation through ECO’s and deviations in Arena or other similar tools.
• Comfortable ordering and building prototypes by hand to validate their ideas through prototyping and testing.
• Must have performed tolerance stackups, reviewed FAI’s, PPAP’s, and worked on DFMEA’s throughout their career.
• Has followed designs through the production line, diagnosing and fixing issues in engineering or production builds, as well as in the field.
• Proficient in CAD software, preferably Onshape. Experience with other parametric CAD tools is acceptable (e.g., SolidWorks, Creo).
• Comfortable building, testing, and rapidly iterating on functional prototypes of parts and assemblies.
• Adept at communicating complex concepts and writing technical documents.
• Experience evaluating design, performance, and logistical tradeoffs for hardware systems.
• Experienced in designing for a range of manufacturing processes, including CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, welding, and 3D printing. Experience with injection molding is a plus.
• Able to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Willing and able to work from our Charlestown, MA office at least 3 days per week.

$150,000 - $172,000 a year

Pay at Pickle

At Pickle Robot Company, we believe transparency builds trust. The salary range listed here is provided in accordance with Massachusetts law and reflects what we reasonably and in good faith expect to offer for this role. We often consider candidates at different levels of seniority, and final compensation will reflect the level at which a candidate is hired, along with factors like experience and location.

About Pickle Robot

Want to get in on the ground floor of a fast-growing, VC-backed robotics company? Join Pickle Robot! We build systems that companies and their teams love.

Pickle robots unload trucks. Every day, millions of trucks and containers are loaded and unloaded, often requiring manual labor—tough, dirty, dangerous, and hard to staff. Pickle automates this process using AI, machine learning, and robotics to deliver reliable products. Our Unload Systems work with teams on loading docks to make the job safer, faster, and more efficient.

Pickle provides best-in-class benefits including health, dental, & vision insurance; unlimited vacation, along with all federal and state holidays; 401K contributions of 5% your salary, travel supplies, and other items to make your working life more fun, comfortable, and productive.